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Fire at Kadima office
Photo: Ezra Arbeli
What used to be the 'war room'
Photo: Ezra Arbeli

Fire at Kadima's Eilat office; arson suspected

Blaze erupts at deputy mayor's office, which also serves as ruling party's headquarters in southern city. Activists suspect arson because of deputy mayor's support for Livni during primaries

A fire erupted late Thursday night at the office of Eilat Deputy Mayor Yehuda Moradi, which also serves as the Kadima party headquarters. Several party activists have speculated that arson may be the case.

 

At around 2 am police received reports that the office, which also served as a polling station during this week's Kadima primaries, was burning.

 


'War room' after the fire. (Photo: Ezra Arbeli) 

 

Based on evidence found at the scene, local Kadima activists speculated that the office was set on fire deliberately, because a room in the back of the office, which acted as a "war room" and held all relative information about the primaries, had burned first.

 

Local activists theorized that the act was carried out due to Moradi's support of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni during the primaries. Moradi rejected the claims saying that "the primaries were carried out without incident. I think whoever did this was afraid that our municipal list would gain strength in the upcoming elections".

 

"I'm upset over the path that my political opponents had chosen," added the deputy mayor. "It makes me question whether or not to continue the race for the municipality".

 

Yehuda Kasntini, deputy director of Eilat's rescue services, stated that the circumstances behind the fire are still being investigated.

 

Eitan Gadasi, chief superintendent of the Eilat Police Department, said that "we have not received a report from the Fire Department saying that the office was torched on purpose. If we receive a report saying that the fire was deliberate, then we will begin our investigation".

 

This is not the first time that a campaign headquarters has been set on fire in Eilat. Two months ago a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the offices of local party "Or L'Eilat" (light to Eilat).

 


פרסום ראשון: 09.19.08, 13:33
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